UNO takes wire-to-wire win over McNeese for third straight SLC win

NEW ORLEANS – Four players reached double figures and the Privateers shot 66.7 percent from the second half to earn their third consecutive victory, dropping McNeese State University (5-12, 1-3 Southland) 79-66 Saturday afternoon at Lakefront Arena. The win improves the University of New Orleans’ record to 3-1 in Southland Conference play.

Bryson Robinson led the squad with 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range and added six assists and two steals, Damion Rosser followed with 15 points and two swipes, Jahmel Myers finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with his six rebounds and Ezekiel Charles posted 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

“We had a good lead heading into halftime and continued to execute the game plan,” said Robinson. “It was an emphasis for us to continue to play hard on both ends of the floor.”

Rosser echoed Robinson’s statement, attributing the early conference season success to preparation.

“We all from 1-14 play within our system. Our coaches do a great job preparing us for our next game. I’m an energy guy and want to bring that to every possession.”

ON THE ALLEY OOP
“It was a big play for us. It’s been a while, so I knew once I passed it to B. Rob, I’d be getting it back.”

COACH’S CORNER
“Our team has incredible resolve,” said head coach Mark Slessinger. “From day one, our team has understood the group effort. To see our guys, develop and grow has been a lot of fun.”

ON DEFENSIVE EFFORT
“We continue to be solid and force turnovers. We just need to take care of the ball better than we have, but defensively, we are disciplined.”

ON OVERALL WIN
“The maturation of this team is impressive. We remained upbeat and shortened the game to stretch our lead.

ON BEGINNING THE SEASON 3-1
“Our nonconference schedule preps us for the tough Southland schedule. This league is wide open, and you have to play well every game. There’s no easy win, and we’ve been blessed to begin the way we have for the last few seasons.”

FIRST HALF
Defense was the story early as the Privateers forced five turnovers midway through the stanza. Rosser went coast-to-coast with 6:06 remaining, forcing a steal on one end with a floater on the other. The basket extended the UNO lead to eight and McNeese head coach Heath Schroyer called a timeout looking to regroup.

Bryson Robinson continued to shoot the ball well from three-point range, draining a 27-foot buzzer beater to extend the UNO lead to five at the half. Robinson led all scorers with 11 points, reaching double figures for the third consecutive game and ninth time this year, equaling last season’s total. Charles pulled down six rebounds and Rosser recorded two steals.

For the Cowboys, Malik Hines came off the bench with seven points, four rebounds and two blocks. Sha’markus Kennedy posted three blocked shots.

NOTE: UNO has never trailed in the first half through four conference games.

SECOND HALF
McNeese cut the UNO lead to one, but Myers – making his second consecutive start – drained a corner triple with the shot clock expiring to reach double figures for the first time with 18:27 remaining. Moments later, Charles got started with his first basket off the Robinson dish.

New Orleans scored seven unanswered, capped by Robinson’s fourth three-pointer of the game, extending the UNO lead to 11 with 14:47 left to play.

Coach Schroyer was t’d up with 14:12 remaining, sending Charles to the line for two as the Privateers lead went back to 11.

Rosser’s layup following the Amari Haynes steal gave UNO its largest lead of the game (51-38) with 13:46 to go.

Moments later, Tyren Harrison swatted away a layup attempt and converted an and-one to make it 55-43 Privateers. The Cowboys rallied back to cut their deficit to five at the under-eight media, cashing in on second chance opportunities and turnovers.

Rosser ended the MSU run with a jumper of his own, reaching double figures for the third consecutive game, and Robinson forced the 15th Cowboys turnover and drew a foul driving to the bucket.

Charles connected on a three to become the fourth UNO student-athlete to reach double figures and make it 66-57 Privateers.

Gerrale Gates picked up a steal and finished over two defenders to extend the lead back to double figures.

An and-one by Myers with 4:55 remaining brought the UNO crowd and bench to its feet. Rosser followed with a rousing dunk heading into the final media as the Privateers went on a quick 10-0 run to make it 73-57.

The Privateers improved to 8-7 overall and 3-1 in conference play, defeating the Cowboys 79-66.

McNEESE STATS
Kennedy led all players with 28 points, going 10-of-14 from the floor. Hines came off the bench with 13 points but fouled out after 24 minutes of action. Kennedy added four blocks and Roydell Brown finished with four steals.

NEXT UP
The Privateers look to #ProtectTheShip when Stephen F. Austin enters Lakefront Arena Wednesday at 7 p.m. Free food and soft drinks will be available to students and t-shirts will be given to the first 200 students in attendance.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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